Author: Silky Simpson
Salwar kameez dates back to the 12th century since of Islamic or the Iranian era which was then followed by the Mughal empire in the region now called as India and Pakistan.

During those days, men and women both were used to wear salwar kameez as part of the traditional dress but over the years Salwar Kameez has found its popularity in India and Pakistan and the salwar kameez is still getting worn in the continent.

Salwar kameez is also known as salwar qameez and has evolved itself over the centuries in a mix of Indian and western wear.

Salwar Kameez is popular as its comfortable to wear in day to day casual wear and also in weddings, functions and ceremonies. Salwar Kameez is being made with various fabrics like Georgette salwar kameez, chiffon salwar kameez, net salwar kameez, satin salwar kameez, cotton salwar kameez, silk salwar kameez and other fabrics including the latest trend of fusion fabrics which is mix of the above and synthetic fabric.

The Salwar Kameez has transformed itself over many years into various styles, designs and cuts so even the name has seen lot of variation over the decades. While the Salwar Qameez originated during the Mughal Empire when Urdu was the commonly spoken language of the era. But over the years Hindi as Urdu became less common and Hindi language became the common language of the present era the original name came as salwar kameez.

Although In Pakistan where Urdu is still commonly used its still known as salwar qameez or shalwar, but in India and Punjab region of Pakistan its known as Salwar Kameez.

The salwar kameez can be further categorized into:

1. Patiala Salwar Kameez – Patiala Salwar Kameez as the name suggests comes from Patiala in the State of Punjab in Northern India. The King of Patiala in earlier times had its Royal dress as Salwar Kameez or Salwar Qameez. The salwar kameez has lowers as salwar and long knee length top known as kameez. Now the dress is not getting worn by men but has classically transformed itself with new cuts and styling into women salwar kameez.

1. Churidar Salwar Kameez – Churidar Salwar Kameez is known for its sleek look. Churidar Salwar Kameez is preferred by lots of female as it looks elegant and gives shape to the body. This salwar kameez has body hugging salwar which is tightly gripped to the body like a stocking. Its comfortable to wear and is very narrow around the ankle area.
1. Cotton Salwar Kameez – The cotton salwar kameez comes in various fabrics like South cotton, blend of cotton and silk and pure cotton due to high production of cotton which is comfortable fabric in the Indian and Pakistani region as it’s comfortable to wear in summers.

1. Designer Salwar Kameez – Designer Salwar kameez are made by fashion designers and normally have lots of hand embroidery work which is done in pearls, stones, beads and sequins. Although every designer has its own approach while designing a salwar kameez the basics still remains the same. The designer is known to give various cuts and styles around the neck, sleeves, kameez and churidar of a salwar kameez which can change the complete look of the salwar kameez.
1. Printed Salwar Kameez – These are called Printed salwar kameez as they are machine printed or digitally printed on all kinds of fabrics like Georgette, crepe, cotton, chiffon and other materials. The Printed Salwar Kameez has a wide range of designs from flowers to polka-dot to abstract to other prints. The latest in fashion are the digital prints on the printed salwar kameez which include variety of colors.

1. Punjabi Salwar Kameez – Punjabi salwar kameez, the name comes from Punjab an Indian state in the north western region of India. These salwar kameez are also known as Punjabi salwar kameez. Punjabi women are fond of bright colors and wear bright colored Salwar kameez and dupatta. The Punjabi suit consists of an upper known as Kameez, Dupatta which is a piece of cloth worn around the neck and lower known as salwar. The Salwar is comfortably loose around the waist till the ankle making it a very comfortable dress. The bright printed colors or heavy embroidery of stones, sequins and beads is must on a Punjabi suit.